STRUCTURAL HEART & VALVE DISEASE
STRUCTURAL HEART & VALVE DISEASE
GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS NAMES LONGEST SURVIVOR OF ARTIFICIAL DOUBLE HEART-VALVE REPLACEMENT
Having undergone three open-heart surgeries , six cardiac catheterizations , five blood clots , and two valve replacements by age 13 , Seth Wharton has overcome many obstacles and celebrated multiple achievements in his life . Now age 44 , he has a new achievement under his belt : a Guinness World Record .
The former UAB Medicine patient was named by Guinness World Records in 2022 as the longest survivor of an artificial double heart-valve replacement . A resident of LaVale , Md ., he received a double heart-valve replacement at UAB Hospital on Oct . 2 , 1990 , making him the longest survivor at more than 32 years , according to Guinness World Records .
“ To live this long after a double heart-valve replacement is a remarkable outcome ,” says James Davies , MD , director of the UAB Cardiovascular Institute and the UAB Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery . “ Cases like Mr . Wharton ’ s are the reason our cardiothoracic surgeons work to provide the best possible care to each of our patients .”
Seth Wharton and family
“ We never thought that I would have the life I have today , and when I get the chance to share my experience with others like me , I wish to give them hope for the future .”
– Seth Wharton
Wharton was born with an enlarged heart and needed two procedures to widen his heart valves before the age of 6 . At age 11 , he developed subacute bacterial endocarditis , an infection of the lining of the heart , which eventually led to the artificial double heart-valve replacement .
Within a year of that surgery , Wharton earned his black belt in karate and began playing basketball . Years later , he was participating in weightlifting meets , running 5K marathons , and playing college basketball . Today , Wharton is a husband , a father of four , and a hospice chaplain at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center of Western Maryland . He ’ s made it his mission to help others get through difficult times .
“ In my role as a hospice chaplain , I hope to use my story to help others make it through similar experiences ,” Wharton says . “ We never thought that I would have the life I have today , and when I get the chance to share my experience with others like me , I wish to give them hope for the future .”
6 UAB Cardiovascular Institute Annual Report